Grammy Time

Image via Wikipedia

Hey folks, it looks like I have been attacked by a gremlin. I did have a post here and it disappeared? I have no idea. But here I go again trying to repost it to the best of my witty knowledge.

I wanted to tell you all about the Grammy's for Children's music. And in doing so about Mr. Johnathan Sprout. You see he did a great CD for kids, American Heros #3. A neat collection of tunes to help our kiddos learn about the heritage of America. They tell about historical figures like Jonas Salk, Pocohontas, Jane Adams and more.

We can watch the Grammy's on January 31st to see if he is one of the big winners. I sure do hope he is. I know that the kiddos around here will be excited to know if they have an award winning song, well one they can listen too.

Imagia and the Magic Pearls

Growing up the youngest of 5 children and with a large gap between girls (10 years), I learned to rely on my imagination for friendship. And it was in the places of my mind that I truly blossomed. There I could do anything, be anyone and have many many friends.

Well, now there is a tale of Imagia and the Magic Pearls. This elf princess also has learned to live in her imagination. Desiring to have other friends to play with but stuck in her palace and with her lessons she seems to be a prisoner of her own life. (Gosh, don't we all relate to that one!) Of course, like all of us, Imagia has to break free and discover the world around her. Tales from the Mapmaker will open up a new land of Trillow. Here Imagia not only wanders into a castle ruled by the evil queen Baddora but also meets her new friend, Flutterwalk. And it is here that Imagia really learns the power of her imagination.

Monroe S. Tarver, both author and illustrator, has given a new childhood princess story which he is developing into a series of stories. Focused for children ages 5-9, this story weaves in a new cast of characters, moral lessons, the power of imagination and embracing an ethnic princess. With rich paintings to surround the story, you are swept away to a new land of Trillow. And one that takes you on those unexpected twist and turns. This is a new tale that has been released just this month at Amazon.com for only $6.99. I feel it would make a wonderful addition to any child's bookshelf this holiday season.

Thankful Thursday 11-09

I am filing a photo montage for the Thankful Thursday. I hope you enjoy it!

First I am thankful for all of my Dear Hubby's family. Our family reunion over this last weekend was a wonderful event. I so look forward to this time with family and being lucky enough to be the hostess. Of course my Dear Hubby and family helps so very much. Thank y'all!

I am thankful for my adorable grand children and their beautiful mom. What a joy it is to have them as part of my life. Just seeing them makes my face light up!

I am thankful for Miss Emma, College Girl's lil sister. She is so bright and cheerful. Here she is as the beautiful princess that she was for Halloween.

And here I am very thankful for this beautiful artwork that I won from (♥ World Through the Eyes of a Fiber Artist ♥). The Mermaid and Raven art quilt ACEO is such delicate work. I just had to show it off here in my hutch.

I Met Septimus Heap

Have you met Septimus Heap? Well, I had not til we bumped into each other this month. I am watching out for Christmas presents right now. And I found not just one but a whole series of them for my neighbors daughter. Thankfully Septimus was willing to be included in the endeavor.

Ashley is a big big reader. That makes me happy as I was that way as a child too. I love going away with my imagination for a visit in another time and place. But because I am in my 40's and do not have a tween child anymore, I had missed out on Septimus Heap.

Who is this character? Well, for that we would have to go back to the beginning. All the way back to Magyk. For that is the first book in this series. Septimus Heap Septimus Heap is the seventh son of a seventh son, who possesses magical powers, and is apprenticed to ExtraOrdinary wizard, Marcia Overstrand.

I jumped in here on Syren and stowed away with Beetle, Jenna, Nicko and Snorri. Here we are all stranded on an island with a Magykal girl named Syrah and a cat-shaped lighthouse that has lost its light. Septimus is trying to escape the persistent and eerie presence that sings to him. And he’s stranded there with his badly injured dragon, Spit Fyre. Trouble is also brewing for Lucy and Wolf Boy, who have become entangle with nefarious sailors at sea, and for Milo Banda, Jenna’s father, who is harboring a mysterious treasure chest in his ship’s hold.

I can not wait to share this with Ashely. I was at Hastings this last weekend and found that I can find the first 4 books there and they are only $7.99 each. So it will not be hard to acquire the complete series too! Now I am off to find Magyk, Flyte, Physik and Queste to add with Syren.

Related articles by Zemanta

• David Frankel to Direct 'Septimus Heap' (cinematical.com)

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]">

Green

As a book reviewer for Thomas Nelson, I have the privilege of reading many different styles of writing. But I have to give my applause to Ted Dekker for his novel Green.

I love a well written mystery, drama and suspense. And I also am a fan of a well told story. In Green you will be rewarded with all of this. Also in this epic you will discover that Ted Dekker has created a new series of stories, the Circle Series.

Green brings full meaning to the Circle Series as a whole, reading as both prequel to Black and sequel to White, completing a full circle. This is Book Zero, the Circle Reborn, both the beginning and the end. The preferred starting point for new readers . . . and the perfect climax for the countless fans who’ve experienced Black, Red, and White.

If you are already a fan of Ted Dekker's Circle Series then you will be ready for the climax. If your new to Ted Dekker's Circle Series then your can get in on the beginning. What a fantastic concept.

Now for Green. Green is a story of love, betrayal, and sweeping reversals set within the apocalypse. We learn how Thomas Hunter first enters the Black Forest and how it changes history. Here in this new land, yet one that is oh' so familiar, life begins and the story continues. It is the beginning: the truth behind a saga that has captured the imagination of more than a million readers with the Books of History Chronicles.

And there is also the web site The Circle. Here fans of the Books of History Chronicles have a whole world created. Ted Dekker joins his fans in a community that shares in the stories, blog and currently looking for new books of Green that Ted has left in hidden places. Look for clues here to find one near you.

My Little Pony Give Away

College Girl grew up in the 80's and 90's so she was able to see videos come into the home for entertainment. And those videos change over to DVDs. And like so many others we were always happy to find her one that she just loved to watch over and over again.

Well, now I am helping watch College Girl's lil sister who is 3 years old. And just like her big sis, she has her favorite DVDs. Now there is a new one for her. We were able to introduce her to My Little Pony. Yes, the one and same that her big sister use to watch. And Emma (lil sis) loved it just as much.

This next week on October 13th My Little Pony's newest DVD released for home viewing will be the Twinkle Wish Adventure. How did we do that? Connections......lol.
Actually we were lucky enough to be asked to review the Twinkle Wish Adventure. So this last

Image via Wikipedia

weekend we popped it into the DVD and watched not only the movie but Emma too!

It is so much fun to watch a lil one get all excited. She did as so many lil girls do. She danced around with the ponies and squealed that this was the bestest movie ever. And we had to play the extra sing-a-longs too(all 6 of the). There was also 4 activities we downloaded for her too! Now she may only be 3 years old, but try and get a child to watch a boring movie. NOPE NO CAN DO. So when it was requested at her house the next day, we were happy to let her borrow our copy. Remember, the movie Twinkle Wish Adventure does not make it to the stores til October 13, 2009.

But! Yes, there is a but! I have a Surprise!
I have scored a copy for a give away.
Do you want your very own copy of Twinkle Wish Adventure?
Great!

Then just start off by leaving me a comment here.
What do you remember as your fav childhood DVDs? Or was there one your kiddos could not live without? Would you like to introduce them to My Little Pony? And you can always do all the other comment things to get extra entries. Twitter, grab my button, become a follower, blog about the give away. Just make sure there is a comment for each thing you do and a way to contact you if you win.
I plan on drawing a winner on.....yeah, October 13th 2009.

I wonder who will win? I do know that tomorrow we will be watching My Little Pony's Twinkle Wish Adventure here with Emma again. Oh, and don't forget to enter to win. And if you do not win? Well here is a $5.00 off coupon for My Little Pony.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]">

Traveling in Life

What happened in your life yesterday? The day before? How about last week? Well, since we blog I bet we have a decent idea of the highlights. Now tell me about last year? How about 10 years ago? When you was seven? Can't be too sure can we. Our lives are made up of millions of events, billions of little things and an unknown number of who knows what. Right!
Donald Miller wrote a book titled "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years". It is a great lil ride as one man tries to catch up with all those lil memories. Finding out it is not what we remember but what we make of our lives. I had such fun reading this and thought you may want to share in some of this story. Pop over here and you will see the book cover and start reading the story for yourself.
Meanwhile let me fill you in without giving away an ounce of this tale. Here is what another description of "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" says:

Full of beautiful, heart-wrenching, and hilarious stories, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years details one man's opportunity to edit his life as if he were a character in a movie.

Years after writing a best-selling memoir, Donald Miller went into a funk and spent months sleeping in and avoiding his publisher. One story had ended, and Don was unsure how to start another.

But he gets rescued by two movie producers who want to make a movie based on his memoir. When they start fictionalizing Don's life for film--changing a meandering memoir into a structured narrative--the real-life Don starts a journey to edit his actual life into a better story. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years details that journey and challenges readers to reconsider what they strive for in life. It shows how to get a second chance at life the first time around.

Now I could not start to think of how I would actually edit my life. I mean we all take time to look at our lives and see what we have done. Plan on where we wish to be and think of how we are going to get there. But how often do we actually get out there and make those active changes. Okay, I am currently doing that in "reinventing" myself with better habits and weight loss. And it feels great but is lots of active work. Maybe that is what scares us the most. Actively working to change or become more? But we do not have to be scared. As Don reminds us, this is not a journey we do on our own. We have help. God is always with us. Walking in our steps, guiding us when we remember to follow and giving us encouragement. Sometimes we have to stop and plan, but when we do we can always focus on what changes we need and wish to make. And know we will have a great partner in that change.

We have 3 SLACKERS

Slacker Radio Plus is going to give away three, 3-month premium subscriptions to my readers.
And I choose the winners last night.

They are:

Jill said...

Image via Wikipedia

1

Cool contest... woohoooo!

Denea said... 3

Tweet!

http://twitter.com/livingbackstage/status/3385204871

annie kelleher said... 4

im such a slacker i dont remember to turn on the radio half the time LOL

I hope y'all enjoy the FREE SLACKER PREMIUM RADIO as much as I have.
Congrats.

Last Day to Enter for FREE Radio

Yes tonight I will draw the winner for FREE SLACKER PREMIUM RADIO.

Image via Wikipedia

I hope you have entered.
I know that I am enjoying my SLACKER online radio.
Since I can pick out the exact songs and artist that I want to listen too, I have it on more often.
You see, I am not into much 'modern' music anymore.
And Country I am not!
Out here that is all I can hear on local radio.
SO where does it leave me when I want to hear show tunes, 40's big band and 70's and 80's love songs.
With my FREE SLACKER PREMIUM RADIO I am now listening to Rent, Judy Garland and The Bangles. What an eclectic mix.
Go enter to win tonight!

Keep Me up with Tim Gunn

I can not wait for Thursday nights now. My one and only show I watch comes on then. I am a fan of Project Runway. Have you watched it? Oh, I want to adopt Tim Gunn. Actually I want

Image by photophonic via Flickr

Tim to adopt me. They even have where you would win lunch with Tim. That would make me thrilled.
Of course where I live at I would not be able to see Project Runway without our satellite. Out here in the 'sticks' there would never be any reception. Well, actually I guess that is all ending anyway. No more rabbit ears covered in tin foil on top of granny's TV?
Do you have any special shows you just adore? I am just glad that I can watch my fav show.  Frugal living like my neighbor Nessa is where there is not any TV. ARRRUUUGGHHH!
That would mean no Tim Gunn either. No, Never, I won't go there.

Homicide?

Well now they are saying that Michael Jackson's death is a homicide!

Michael Jackson via last.fm

I was not following this story very close.
Just thought it was really sad to have lost his life and still be relatively young.
I worried and morned for his children.

Now, I am so sorry and upset that someone may have caused such a tragedy for his lil ones.
I pray they are okay and well cared for.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Michael Jackson: Murdered? (socialitelife.celebuzz.com)
• He was murdered! Or something! (wwtdd.com)
• Was Michael Jackson murdered? (althouse.blogspot.com)

College=Party?

College Girl made it back on campus this weekend. And as it is in college she went to a party her first night on campus. The theater group was doing a get back together party with the theme being "Adam & Eve".
Well, CG wanted to make sure she had an outfit but did not want to be Eve in all her shining glory. So instead she wore a red floor length formal with black lace covering. It laces up in the back like a corset does. Then CG added some devil horns and used a long rubber snake for a belt. Yes, CG was temptation! I think that was quite inventive with what she had in her closet.

Thanks to Hip Hop Jewelry for the photo.

I wish we had gone to Hip Hop Jewelry before hand. Then we could have added these silver teeth to go with her outfit. It would have been stellar to have silver fangs. Maybe I can get them and she will be able to use them for Halloween. What do you think?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Where'd They Get That Bling? (alwaysbcmom.com)

Talent? Who has the Talent?

I am not musically talented. CG is! CG played the clarinet for 6 years in school. And she has the voice of an angel. I envy that so much. My sister played the piano when she was young. And my

Image via Wikipedia

mother wishes that she still did. Dear Hubby plays a mean air piano.
DH has always wanted to learn how to play the piano. He will pretend while listening to Yanni. It is so cute. I would like for him to check out this new program I found. They have Free Sheet Music available too. Of course DH would need to learn to Read Music also.
Piano Chords can be quite challenging to master. I know some people practice day in and day out to learn them. Heck, I would love to be able to just sit down and let music flow from me.
Are you musically talented? What instrument would you like to master? Or are you like me and have learned to sit back and listen to others who are talented?

Related articles by Zemanta

• I am Learning How to Play the Piano in 4 Weeks... (adriansjournal.blogspot.com)
• Toy piano as art (makezine.com)

The Double Cousins Book Review with Ashley

The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the the Missing Watch by Miriam Jones Bradley

My dear Ashley, Nessa's daughter helped me with a review of this new mystery. Ashley is 9 years old and loves to read. She was very interested in reading a new mystery. This is written along the lines of a Trixie Belden mystery.



Ok Ashley, what is your general opinion about this book? "It's awesome."

What's awesome about it? "It is a great book with a good mystery and stuff."

What is your favorite thing about this book? "That the cousins were solving the mystery together."

Is there anything about the story unexpected? "The homeless man named Slim who arrived after jumping on a the train."

Why would another child want to read this book? "The reason I would say is because it is like your solving the mystery with the cousins and Slim."

Did this book expand on God? "Yes, it expanded more about God when Slim came in the picture. When one of the cousins was asking questions about God and his plan."

Ashley feels this book would be hard for little kids to understand, but ages 8 years to 15 years old would enjoy this mystery. If your interested in how cousins work together and family relationships you will learn more during this story.

I appreciate Ashley helping me review The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Missing Watch. I know that I found the story intriguing even as an adult. I will be glad to share this story with my grand daughter as she grows older too. It will also be interesting to find out if this develops into a series of Mysteries like Nancy Drew did.

You may also enjoy sharing a Christian based story with your children. This would be a good chapter book to use as night time reader.

This is a WinePress Publishing and is listed as Juvenile Fiction/Mysteries & Detective Stories. Retail price is $11.95 in the United States.

In an intriguing tale of forgiveness and acceptance, Miriam Jones Bradley tells the story of five cousins, seeking to unearth the one hundred year old mystery surrounding a long lost relative, an old pocket watch, and a mysterious hired man. Set against the backdrop of a Nebraska ranch, "The Double Cousins and The Mystery of the Missing Watch" takes the reader through an adventure led by young sleuths. In a culture that overwhelmingly portrays a fractured family unit, Bradley offers a story of love, acceptance, and unity. “I believe that in today's world, with the decline of the family unit, this book can make an impact on children,” says Bradley. “Whether they have an intact family or not, they can learn the importance of family connections while learning good Biblical and character truths.” Bradley’s young heroes learn many lessons as they solve the family mystery, mainly that God can and will forgive us when we fail and that we should never judge someone simply due to his past. “My goal is to provide a Christian answer to the Bobbsey Twins/Trixie Belden mysteries I remember from my childhood,” says Bradley.

Bradley has worked as a nurse for the past twenty-four years and has been heavily involved with Children's Ministries. She has taught and led numerous children’s programs and spends as much time as possible with her twelve nieces and nephews. Bradley has a heart for children and desires to provide exciting, captivating, but traditional stories for children that establish important character truths. She and her husband, Dr. Bruce Bradley, make their home in Newberry, SC, where she works as a Utilization Review Nurse at Newberry County Memorial Hospital.

Life is a Circus

We had such a great time at Ringling Brothers Circus last night.

Image via Wikipedia

I loved getting to go and enjoy my very first "Greatest Show on Earth"!
And it was well worth the wait.

Again I want to thank Nessa for including me and College Girl into her family outing.
That was very nice of her to ask her poor neighbor to join in!

And Dan again---you did a great job with all the driving of us women folks and kids. I appreciate that!

Image via Wikipedia

I will not forget the lovely kids either, Tristen and Ashley both minded very well. This was an enjoyable trip. I was glad to be part of your family last night.

Now--the acts were beautiful. Oh how I loved seeing the Elephants. And the Tigers were so majestic too! Even the lil doggies were fun. Oh and don't forget the horse acts. All the animals were well groomed, looked well fed and behaved so tame. I had fun laughing at the clowns and gasping at the ariel acts. Wow what courage some people have!

But, yes there is a but...
PETA you do not have the right to scare small children into crying by using your bullhorn when you are not 4 ft away from those children. You was not asked by these parents to "teach" anything to their children. And you did not impress us with horrid stories of unkind acts when we saw how beautiful and well cared for all the animals were. PETA you only showed that your bullying tactics did not work last night. Yes you have your rights, but so did we. Sad we had to move and take our children elsewhere so they could quit crying from all your hollering in their ears with bullhorns. BAD FORM!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Save 20% on Ringling Brothers Circus Tickets! (celebrity-babies.com)